Hamlet, really?
by Dinokitty
Summary: Tumblr prompt: I found you perched on the railing of my fire escape, reading Hamlet, and I have no fucking idea how you got up here 'what are you doing' AU


Taking a deep breath Percy felt his eyelids slip lower as he felt the lateness take its toll on him he had had classes the entire day and when he finally got a break he was exhausted. A minute later his head smacked painfully against his desk making him groan. It was nearing midnight and the intense courses he was taking for the degree he wanted in marine biology were taking their toll on him. Rolling on to the floor Percy closed his eyes against the cool air coming in through the open window he was facing. The floor was hard, even with the thick carpet and the sea prince groaned loudly. Turning his head to face the moon light streaming in through the window, "Wha-?"

Eyes widening Percy stared at shadowy silhouette sitting on the fire escape outside his room, it was probably Nico visiting. Again. "God damn it," Percy muttered climbing to his feet slowly he leaned out the window to peer at whom he assumed was his friend. "Nico, what the Hades are you doing out there?" He was right, balancing on the thin rail was Nico, his long hair was shaggier than I remembered and his aviator jacket was still loose on his short frame. Owlish black eyes turned to look at Percy who was now half way out of the window, clearly he was reading some sort of book but Percy was too distracted by the cold air coming in.

"Oh, hey Perc," Nico called leaping off the rail only to lean against it again, not caring how wet his dark sneakers got. He was dressed in his favorite jacket, a thin black T, a pair of dark cargo pants and ratty converse. "I just wanted to pop by…" Percy rolled his eyes and rolled his neck before climbing out the window to greet his friend. The air was obnoxiously cold because of the lateness of the year and being dressed in only a loose pair of sweatpants Percy was left shivering in the frigid air. "You cold?" Nico asked, having eyed the brunette's shivering form which was still half way out the window.

"Oh, no it's not like its twenty degrees and windy," Percy said sarcastically wrapping his arms tight around his bare stomach. He was far too used to Nico coming over at every odd hour of the day, but coming at midnight in the middle of winter was pushing his patients. "C'mon get your ass inside, I am not freezing my ass off outside if I can drag you inside instead." Reaching over he grabbed the collar of the leather jacket Percy climbed back inside his dorm room, he dragged a writhing Nico with him. Dumping the ghost prince on the ground Percy slammed the window shut before climbing into his bed, wrapping his thick comforter around his shoulders attempting to warm himself.

Nico sat up mirroring Percy's position, "So~ what's up?"

Percy shot him a withering glare looking annoyed, "Shouldn't I be asking you that instead?" He raised an eyebrow at his cousin. He hadn't seen him in the last few weeks but the prince of hell had been 'popping in' a lot over the last year. Peering closely at him noted that in the brighter light of his room Nico seemed to have acquired a tan, as well as a few new tears and burns on his coat. A thin hand was clutched around a thick book and Percy tilted his head in curiosity, "You know what? I'm gonna ask about that book instead."

"Huh?" Nico asked holding the battered book up so the brunette could see the title, Hamlet it read. "I'm going to this weird renascence convention down at my dad's place so I need to, erm, brush up on my history." He shrugged sheepish, "Not that I've exactly taken history in the first place."

Percy gave him a deadpan, "You've never taken history before? That was a required course even when you were still in school, right?" He had let the blanket fall around his waist instead having grown warm enough to deal, leaning against the wall he stared at Nico who was now ignoring him and reading his book instead. Except he was holding it upside down. Percy laughed quietly before jumping from his cloth cocoon to the floor to look over Nico's shoulder. He was honestly trying to read the book, which was written in something closer to old Celtic than normal English, upside down. "You do know that's upside down?" Percy raised an eyebrow at him, causing the unshakable ghost prince to blush.

"Uh…" Flipping the book right-side up a look of understanding flashed across Nico's face before his face turned an even more interesting shade of red. "Oops. " Rubbing the back of his neck he grinned up at Percy who was now scanning the page himself, leaning even closer to him. "Perc?

"Do you even know where you are in this book?" Percy asked scratching his cheek, as he eyes moved rapidly. "You just so happened to turn to the page where Hamlet kills Polonius, this is dumb…" It was Nico's turn to raise an eyebrow at the college student's ability to read the odd language, choosing to ignore how close Percy was sitting to him instead twisting to face him. "I thought you were a seaweed brain, have you been lying to me this entire time?" he teased, smirking at said seaweed brain.

"I guess Annabeth rubbed off on me a little too much if you can't even tell I'm my normal seaweed brain," Percy said leaning back grinning. "Now c'mon I've got classes in the morning. Leave, camp out on the floor, I don't care but I gotta get to sleep." He stood up, throwing a throw pillow at Nico before flopping on his bed face down. "Turn off the lights," he mumbled, burrowing under the covers. "Night…"

"Night Percy,' Nico said a ghost of a smile on his face.


End file.
